Verifying insertion system apparatus and method of operation

Abstract

Apparatus and method of verification of credit cards, including sensing information thereon and comparing said information with information on a specially designed pre-printed carrier, followed by insertion of one or more cards in the matching carrier as required, folding and stacking card-inserted carriers in a manner ready for subsequent insertion into mailing envelopes. Sensing, input, comparison logic, and timed command circuitry for coordination of operation includes a pause mode of card advance and may optionally include a multiple card search mode to find matching cards when card sequence is improper.

We claim: 
     
       1. Method of automatic verification and insertion of credit cards in carriers therefor comprising the steps of: (a) providing carriers to a first station, said carriers having disposed thereon machine readable information relating to an individual cardholder account, said information being selected from information on the number of credit cards authorized for said account, and information uniquely identifying said cardholder or account,   (b) machine reading at least a portion of said information on said carriers in said frist station,   (c) providing credit cards to a second station, said cards having thereon machine readable information relating to an individual cardholder or account,   (d) machine reading said information on said cards in said second station,   (e) sequentially comparing said card information with said carrier information until a condition of matched information is produced,   (f) inserting the correct number of properly matched cards into the appropriate carrier in response to said matched information condition.   
     
     
       2. Method as in claim 1 which includes the step of folding said carriers after insertion of said cards therein. 
     
     
       3. Method as in claim 2 which includes the steps of comparing the information of each of said carriers and cards with information on undesired accounts to determine a condition of match, and removing said carriers having cards inserted therein from said sequence in response to said matched information condition. 
     
     
       4. Method as in claim 2 which includes the step of detecting the number of cards in said carriers, and rejecting carriers containing an insufficiency or excess in response to a preselected number of cards for each carrier. 
     
     
       5. Method as in claim 2 which includes the step of insertion of said carriers in mailing envelopes. 
     
     
       6. Method as in claim 5 which includes the step of detecting the number of cards in said envelopes after said carrier has been inserted in said envelopes, and rejecting envelopes containing an insufficiency or excess of cards in response to a preselected number of cards for each envelope. 
     
     
       7. Method as in claim 6 wherein said numbers of cards information is machine read from said carriers when disposed in said envelopes, comparing said numbers information to the detected number in the envelope, and rejecting envelopes on conditions of mismatch. 
     
     
       8. Method as in claim 6 which includes the step of comparing carrier of card information with information on undesired accounts to determine a condition of match, and removing envelopes containing said matched information on cards or carriers from among a plurality of said envelopes. 
     
     
       9. Method as in claim 5 which includes the step of depositing preselected information on said carriers prior to providing said carriers to said first station. 
     
     
       10. Method as in claim 9 which includes the step of applying said information relating to said individual cardholder or account to virgin credit cards. 
     
     
       11. Method as in claim 1 wherein said carriers are provided in a continuous web form, and which includes separating individual ones of said carriers from said continuous web. 
     
     
       12. Method as in claim 11 wherein said carriers are provided two wide in said continuous carrier web, and which includes the steps of: (a) separating said carriers into a first and a second one-wide stream, and   (b) feeding said one-wide streams alternately into said separation means so that individual carriers are separated alternately from said streams.   
     
     
       13. Method as in claim 1 which includes the step of depositing preselected information on said carriers prior to providing said carriers to said first station. 
     
     
       14. Method as in claim 13 wherein said step of depositing includes applying said information on said carrier or to a label applied to said carrier. 
     
     
       15. Method as in claim 14 wherein said operation of applying is selected from printing, embossing, punching and encoding a magnetically susceptible material. 
     
     
       16. Method as in claim 13 wherein said operation of depositing is selected from printing, embossing, punching, and encoding a magnetically susceptible material. 
     
     
       17. Method as in claim 13 which includes the step of applying said information relating to said individual cardholder or account to virgin credit cards. 
     
     
       18. Method of automatic verification and insertion of credit cards to carriers therefor comprising the steps of: (a) providing carriers adapted to retain credit cards in association therewith,   (b) providing credit cards having thereon machine readable information uniquely identifying a cardholder or account,   (c) inserting the correct number of credit cards into each said carrier in accordance with information on the number of cards authorized for said cardholder or account,   (d) identifying said carrier with information uniquely identifying the cardholder or account cards inserted therein.   
     
     
       19. The method as in claim 18 in which said step of inserting comprises the step of placing the correct number of credit cards in releasable retentive engagement with the carrier associated therewith. 
     
     
       20. Method as in claim 19 wherein said step of identifying includes depositing information on said carrier. 
     
     
       21. Method as in claim 20 wherein said step of depositing includes applying said information on said carrier or to a label applied to said carrier. 
     
     
       22. Method as in claim 21 wherein said operation of applying is selected from printing, embossing, punching, and encoding a magnetically susceptible material. 
     
     
       23. Method as in claim 20 wherein said step of depositing is selected from printing, embossing, punching, and encoding a magnetically susceptible material. 
     
     
       24. The method as in claim 20 which includes the step of folding said carriers after insertion of said cards therein, and stuffing said carriers into mailing envelopes. 
     
     
       25. Method as in claim 20 which includes the steps of applying said information to virgin credit cards, controlling said identifying of carriers and said information applying to credit cards to provide said carriers and cards in sequence so that said insertion produces a matched condition of said cards and said carriers. 
     
     
       26. Method as in claim 20 wherein said step of depositing occurs prior to said insertion of said cards in carriers. 
     
     
       27. Method as in claim 26 which includes the steps of applying said information to virgin credit cards, controlling said identifying of carriers and said information applying to credit cards to provide said carriers and cards in sequence so that said insertion produces a matched condition of said cards and said carriers. 
     
     
       28. Method as in claim 19 wherein said step of identifying includes depositing information on an envelope into which said carrier is stuffed or on a mailer. 
     
     
       29. Method as in claim 28 wherein said step of depositing includes applying information on said envelope or mailer, or to a label applied to said envelope or mailer. 
     
     
       30. Method as in claim 29 wherein said operation of applying is selected from printing, embossing, punching, and encoding a magnetically susceptible material. 
     
     
       31. Method as in claim 28 wherein said step of identifying is selected from printing, embossing, punching, and encoding a magnetically susceptible material. 
     
     
       32. Method as in claim 19 which includes steps of comparing the information of each of said carriers or cards with information on undesired accounts to determined a condition of match, and removing said carriers having cards inserted therein from said sequence in response to said matched information condition. 
     
     
       33. Method as in claim 19 which includes the step of detecting the number of cards in said carriers, and rejecting envelopes containing an insufficiency or excess of cards responsive to a preselected number of cards for each carrier. 
     
     
       34. Method as in claim 19 which includes the step of insertion of said carriers in mailing envelopes. 
     
     
       35. Method as in claim 34 which includes the step of detecting the number of cards in said envelopes after said carrier has been inserted in said envelopes, and rejecting envelopes containing an insufficiency or excess of cards in response to a preselected number of cards for each envelope. 
     
     
       36. Method as in claim 35 which includes the step of comparing carrier or card information with information on undesired accounts to determine a condition of match, and removing envelopes containing said matched information on cards or carriers from among a plurality of said envelopes. 
     
     
       37. Method as in claim 34 which includes the step of comparing carrier or card information with information on undesired accounts to determine a condition of match, and removing envelopes containing said matched information on cards or carriers from among a plurality of said envelopes. 
     
     
       38. Method as in claim 19 wherein said step of identifying occurs prior to said insertion of said cards in carriers. 
     
     
       39. Method as in claim 38 which includes the steps of applying said information to virgin credit cards, controlling said identifying of carriers and said information applying to credit cards to provide said carriers and cards in sequence so that said insertion produces a matched condition of said cards and said carriers. 
     
     
       40. The method as in claim 39 which includes the step of folding said carriers after insertion of said cards into association therewith, and stuffing said carriers into mailing envelopes. 
     
     
       41. Method as in claim 40 wherein said carriers are provided in a continuous web. 
     
     
       42. Method as in claim 41 wherein said carriers are provided one-wide, and which includes the step of separating individual ones of said carriers from said web. 
     
     
       43. Method of automatic verification and retentive engagement of credit cards in association with carriers therefor comprising the steps of: (a) providing carriers to a first station, said carriers having disposed thereon machine readable information relating to an individual cardholder account, said information being selected from information on the number of credit cards authorized for said account, and information uniquely identifying said cardholder or account,   (b) machine reading at least a portion of said information on said carriers in said first station,   (c) providing credit cards to a second station, said cards having thereon machine readable information relating to an individual cardholder or account,   (d) machine reading said information on said cards in said second station,   (e) comparing said card information with said carrier information until a condition of matched information is produced,   (f) retainingly engaging the correct number of properly matched cards into association with the appropriate carrier in response to said matched information condition.   
     
     
       44. Method as in claim 43 which includes the step of folding said carriers after engagement of said cards into associated therewith. 
     
     
       45. Method as in claim 44 which includes the steps of the comparing the information of each of said carrier or cards with information on undesired accounts to determine a condition of match, and removing said carriers having cards engaged therewith from said sequence in response to said matched information condition. 
     
     
       46. Method as in claim 44 which includes the step of detecting the number of cards in said carriers, and rejecting carriers containing an insufficiency or excess in response to a preselected number of cards for each carrier. 
     
     
       47. Method as in claim 44 which includes the step of stuffing of said carriers in mailing envelopes. 
     
     
       48. Method as in claim 47 which includes the step of detecting the number of cards in said envelopes after said carrier has been stuffed in said envelopes, and rejecting envelopes containing an insufficiency or excess of cards in response to a preselected number of cards for each envelope. 
     
     
       49. Method as in claim 48 wherein said numbers of cards information is machine read from said carriers when disposed in said envelopes, comparing said numbers information to the detected number in the envelope, and rejecting envelopes on conditions of mismatch. 
     
     
       50. Method as in claim 48 which includes the step of comparing carrier or card information with information on undesired accounts to determine a condition of match, and removing envelopes containing said matched information on cards or carriers from among a plurality of said envelopes. 
     
     
       51. Method as in claim 47 which includes the step of depositing preselected information on said carriers prior to providing said carriers to said first station. 
     
     
       52. Method as in claim 51 which includes the step of applying said information relating to said individual cardholder or account to virgin credit cards. 
     
     
       53. Method as in claim 43 wherein said carriers are provided in a continuous web form, and which includes separating individual ones of said carriers from said continuous web. 
     
     
       54. Method as in claim 43 which includes the step of depositing preselected information on said carriers prior to providing said carriers to said first station. 
     
     
       55. Method as in claim 54 wherein said step of depositing includes applying said information on said carrier or to a label applied to said carrier. 
     
     
       56. Method as in claim 55 wherein said operation of applying is selected from printing, embossing, punching and encoding a magnetically susceptible material. 
     
     
       57. Method as in claim 54 wherein said operation of depositing is selected from printing, embossing, punching, and encoding a magnetically susceptible material. 
     
     
       58. Method as in claim 54 which includes the step of applying said information relating to said individual cardholder or account to virgin credit cards.